VirtualPlates

Nameplates are hard to look at. They fill your screen and make an absolute mess when you're fighting lots of mobs. _VirtualPlates gives them depth, so they fit into the game world instead of covering it.

Note: _VirtualPlates no longer works since the Cataclysm pre-release 4.0.1 patch.

Details

This has little configuration, and should work with most other nameplate skinning mods such as Aloft, TidyPlates, and caelNameplates. You might prefer to turn on “Allow Overlapping Unit Nameplates” in Interface Options > Names > Unit Nameplates so nameplates won't bump into each other. The sample screenshots were taken with this new feature enabled.

Options

_VirtualPlates' options can be found in the Interface Options > _VirtualPlates menu.

Nameplate Scale Limits:

Minimum Scale: Limits how small nameplates can shrink to. Values can range from 0 (meaning disabled) to 1 (meaning plates won't get smaller than their default size). For example, a value of 0.5 would keep plates from shrinking beyond half their original size.

Limit maximum scale: When enabled, this prevents nameplates from getting too big when they get close to your camera.

Maximum Scale: Similar to the “Minimum Scale” slider, but this value controls how many times larger than the default size a nameplate can grow to.

Scale Factor: When nameplates are this many yards from the screen, they'll be normal sized. Larger distances mean larger nameplates.

Originally posted by jwwpua Great addon, but it seems to be causing some crashes (I also use Aloft like the person quoted above). When I disable this addon and leave everything else the same, I never crash. I can usually make it crash by enabling all friendly nameplates and hovering a lot of them very quickly in Orgrimmar. I generally just have Enemy nameplates enabled, but I crashed that way too. I tried posting a crash report, but it's too long. I'll try to PM it to you.

EDIT: I e-mailed the crash report.

The crash report doesn't seem to show what crashed the game, but I'll download the latest Aloft and see if I can duplicate the issue.

Originally posted by DaemonSambe It makes WoW crash alot for me. Probably in conjunction with my other mods. Since removing it, i haven't crashed out, doing toc.25.

I would suggest checking performance inc conjunction with Aloft, which also modifies the nameplates, as therein seems to be the problem.

Will revisit this in a few weeks.

Regards.

Great addon, but it seems to be causing some crashes (I also use Aloft like the person quoted above). When I disable this addon and leave everything else the same, I never crash. I can usually make it crash by enabling all friendly nameplates and hovering a lot of them very quickly in Orgrimmar. I generally just have Enemy nameplates enabled, but I crashed that way too. I tried posting a crash report, but it's too long. I'll try to PM it to you.

Well, I deleted the config-cache.wtf file from my account folder, and it appears to have fixed the problem at the moment. I'll report back if it seems to revert to the "omgwtf" pattern it was displaying in the past couple of days. XD

It does appear, though, that if you delete the config-cache.wtf in your character file, that it can cause the same wonky camera behavior that it was before. Let me double-check to make sure.

Edit: I found out what it is. It's the view/camera settings in particular. The defaults are Previous View set to Home, and Next View set to End. If you spam the End key until it stops cycling, it should end at the 5th default view, and it will cause the camera settings to go nuts. Any other setting works perfectly, including first person. So yeah, if the account bound cache folder says "SET cameraview "5"", change it to 1-4, and you'll be fine, I suppose.

Originally posted by SilverKnight16 Hmm, it appears that after any sort of logout/reload of the UI when Virtual Plates is installed breaks the camera placement. I've tried this with no addons enabled, and my camera (set to only follow horizontal when moving, or however it's worded) works perfectly. However, if I logout, reload the UI, or do anything that involves a loading screen, it defaults to "never follow", and nothing save a fresh reinstall of the addon will fix it.

Any ideas?

It seems that saving camera views breaks that camera follow behavior. The only fix I've seen for the problem is described pretty well in this post on the UI & Macro forum.

As for your camera follow setting continually resetting to the default of "never", I noticed it was happening to me too. So, I tested some ways to fix it, and the problem mysteriously vanished. I have no idea where it came from or where it went. The weird part is that _VirtualPlates never directly touches that setting.

My best and only advice is to try pruning your settings by hand as described in that post. Hopefully it will work for you.

Hmm, it appears that after any sort of logout/reload of the UI when Virtual Plates is installed breaks the camera placement. I've tried this with no addons enabled, and my camera (set to only follow horizontal when moving, or however it's worded) works perfectly. However, if I logout, reload the UI, or do anything that involves a loading screen, it defaults to "never follow", and nothing save a fresh reinstall of the addon will fix it.

Originally posted by Saiket That's an issue with all text in WoW, and I don't think there's any way to fix it. Basically, font sizes will "round" up or down when you try scaling them, so they jump between 10pt and 12pt instead of blending through 10.5pt, 11pt, etc.

That sure is an issue I'd like Blizzard to assess in the near future, it sure would make the lives of addon authors way easier (especially for UI related addons).
Pity you can't handle the text as raster and scale the raster image instead of actual text.

Originally posted by WarialBrute I used VirtualPlates for a while during 3.2 but later removed it... after I rolled rogue during 3.3, the enormous sized name plates often decide to place themselves just above the mob's head (this happens with the Evl's Name Plates included in RothUI) making it quite annoying to see if the mob is actually facing you or not. Now with the name plate changes introduced in 3.3, the addon has proven to be useful.

There's just this one bit that has been poking out: the nameplates won't scale smoothly. It does a fine job with the textures but text seems to be the problem.
What I'm wanting is a bit like scaling (or zooming) an image so the text won't crop when the nameplate is far away from the player.
/end possible confusing rant :P

That's an issue with all text in WoW, and I don't think there's any way to fix it. Basically, font sizes will "round" up or down when you try scaling them, so they jump between 10pt and 12pt instead of blending through 10.5pt, 11pt, etc.

I used VirtualPlates for a while during 3.2 but later removed it... after I rolled rogue during 3.3, the enormous sized name plates often decide to place themselves just above the mob's head (this happens with the Evl's Name Plates included in RothUI) making it quite annoying to see if the mob is actually facing you or not. Now with the name plate changes introduced in 3.3, the addon has proven to be useful.

There's just this one bit that has been poking out: the nameplates won't scale smoothly. It does a fine job with the textures but text seems to be the problem.
What I'm wanting is a bit like scaling (or zooming) an image so the text won't crop when the nameplate is far away from the player.
/end possible confusing rant :P

Originally posted by Saiket The damage text is out of bounds, but I might be able to do something with those chat bubbles. I'll check it out.
____
Edit:
I got a prototype working with the chat bubbles, but I don't think it works nearly as well as _VirtualPlates does. You might have noticed text on virtual plates kind of jumps between font sizes (i.e. from 10pt straight to 12pt, instead of smoothly blending through 11pt); Well, that problem gets magnified with the chat bubbles. The text ends up spazzing out as it resizes, making it unreadable. Another issue is how small the text gets: Even a few yards beyond the character makes the bubbles too small for me to read.

I don't think I'm going to release this experiment, but you're not missing much.

Hi there,

Thanks for looking into this. I really appreciate it!

I can imagine what you mean about the text being jittery. Since the information it provides is more text-driven than graphical, I wouldn't think giving depth to the chat bubbles would be as successful. But what about a simple uniform scale? The bubbles would appear at the same consistent size, but could be user-defined to take up less space while still being readable.

Originally posted by Tone Since you've been working successfully in this space, I wanted to ask if you had any insight into whether it's possible to do something similar to _VirtualPlates, but for other elements (like dialog balloons for example). I appreciate the visual cue of dialog balloons, but they're so huge on my screen that they often cover up important elements. I've never come across a way to scale them down. Another example that comes to mind is "damage text" over mobs' heads. I've seen addons that help you change the font, but not any way to simply set the font size smaller.

The damage text is out of bounds, but I might be able to do something with those chat bubbles. I'll check it out.
____
Edit:
I got a prototype working with the chat bubbles, but I don't think it works nearly as well as _VirtualPlates does. You might have noticed text on virtual plates kind of jumps between font sizes (i.e. from 10pt straight to 12pt, instead of smoothly blending through 11pt); Well, that problem gets magnified with the chat bubbles. The text ends up spazzing out as it resizes, making it unreadable. Another issue is how small the text gets: Even a few yards beyond the character makes the bubbles too small for me to read.

I don't think I'm going to release this experiment, but you're not missing much.

Originally posted by avid I can't seem to find a single shred of evidence to the change, much less any sort of statement as to why they would make such a change. You have any further info on the matter?

Blizzard made a bunch of "stealth nerfs" to addons in 3.3, with no mention of them at all. To make things worse, their representatives almost never reply to inquiries on the UI & Macro Forum anymore.

The exact way that they changed nameplates strongly suggests they did it on purpose though.

Thank you for all the great work on this addon. For the longest time, I was always wishing for a way to adjust the size of nameplates (even in just a uniform way, so the scaled-for-range solution is even more amazing!). For some reason, Blizzard doesn't seem to let UI elements in the 3D space respond to a player's uiScale setting, so on larger displays these elements are enormous and awkward!

Since you've been working successfully in this space, I wanted to ask if you had any insight into whether it's possible to do something similar to _VirtualPlates, but for other elements (like dialog balloons for example). I appreciate the visual cue of dialog balloons, but they're so huge on my screen that they often cover up important elements. I've never come across a way to scale them down. Another example that comes to mind is "damage text" over mobs' heads. I've seen addons that help you change the font, but not any way to simply set the font size smaller.

Sucks that they've made those changes. I can't seem to find a single shred of evidence to the change, much less any sort of statement as to why they would make such a change. You have any further info on the matter?

Edit - OMG, I JUST TRIED IT!! WOW, I THINK I JUST CREAMED MY PANTS!!! LOVE IT!! Such a small change, yet such a big difference. !! Thank you!

Originally posted by Saiket I discovered a workaround, so _VirtualPlates will work after patch 3.3. It will probably break for good in patch 3.3.1, but hopefully by then the mod will have enough support to change Blizzard's mind about nerfing it.

How does the work around work?

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